Rams’ defense stays one step ahead in overtime upset of 49ers

When it was over, and the Rams had pulled off a 16-13 overtime shocker Sunday, the 49ers were in agreement after managing six points in the final 62 minutes and 32 seconds: Those guys knew what was coming.

“It seemed like everything they called,” left tackle Joe Staley said, “was the best call they could have as a defense.”

Said quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who star dulled slightly after he posted a so-so 83.9 rating and committed an ugly, momentum-shifting fourth-quarter turnover in his third career start: “It seems like they were in the right defense for the things we tried to do.”

For the second time in three weeks, the Rams (5-6-1), a year removed from a 2-14 campaign, gave the defending NFC West champions fits. This time, however, they also gave them a loss as rocket-legged rookie Greg Zuerlein hammered a 54-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in overtime, a kick that ensured the teams wouldn’t reprise their 24-24 tie on Nov. 11.

“I think the perception was that, well, we might’ve caught them on a bad day,” St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher said of their first meeting. “So we got to start over again and find a way to beat the team to beat in our division.”

The defensive-minded Fisher, in his first season in St. Louis, and his staff helped his players do just that.

The Rams entered ranked fourth in the NFL with 31 sacks and their relentless defensive front silenced San Francisco (8-3-1) after it took a 7-0 lead on Frank Gore’s 1-yard run late in the first quarter. The 49ers’ next six drives netted four first downs, 35 yards and St. Louis’ defense, which collected a third-quarter safety, scored more points than San Francisco’s sputtering attack.

Gore, who had 43 yards on his first three runs, had 24 yards on his final 20 carries. Meanwhile, Kaepernick, who was sacked three times, didn’t have time to locate his downfield targets: 13 of his 21 completions gained fewer than 10 yards and just two gained more than 20.

“Their defensive front gets after it,” tight end Delanie Walker said. “Those guys are explosive and fast and got pressure on Kap. They messed up some of our timing plays … They were pressuring him so we couldn’t get the deep throws that we wanted.”

The Rams’ pressure swung the momentum with the 49ers clinging to a 10-2 lead with just over three minutes left in regulation. On 3rd-and-3 from San Francisco’s 17, Kaepernick tossed a read-option pitch over the head of wide receiver Ted Ginn, who was lined up behind Gore in the backfield. St. Louis brought a blitz on the play, which forced Kaepernick to hastily make the wayward toss that was scooped up near the end zone by St. Louis cornerback Janoris Jenkins for a touchdown.

“Our defensive staff made a great call on that third down,” said Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, “It was the perfect pressure and the perfect play.”

Kaepernick rebounded and ripped off a 50-yard run on San Francisco’s next drive to set up a go-ahead, 33-yard field goal by David Akers with 1:34 left. The Rams, however, roared right back on a last-gasp drive keyed by scrambles of 14 and 11 yards by quarterback Sam Bradford. As time expired, Zuerlein pounded a 53-yarder to send the game to overtime.

In the extra session, Akers missed a 51-yarder with 4:16 left to set the stage for Zuerlein’s heroics, which gave the Rams just their second win in their past 10 meetings against the 49ers.

The victory sent a message that at least one team might have caught on to San Francisco’s offensive scheme, which features an endless array of formations, personnel groups, shifts and power-run plays.

The 49ers’ rivalry with Seattle, led by another defensive-minded head coach in Pete Carroll, still qualifies as the NFC West’s hottest thanks, in part, to the history between Harbaugh and Carroll.

But the Rams at least entered the conversation with Sunday’s win. And a subtle dig from Fisher in the aftermath should only help fuel the budding rivalry.

“I don’t know what they were trying to accomplish there,” Fisher said when asked about the 49ers’ botched read option. “But we took advantage of one of their mistakes.”